Time was frozen in the darkness.
Sōjun Minamoto didn't feel the slightest sign of time passing on his body.
He had no idea how long he had been walking.
Along the way, he idly threw out Black Flashes, trying to clash with the void around him—but all it did was stir up more black lightning, which struck his body silently, without a sound.
At one point, he sensed his body becoming just a little more solid. That moment sparked his interest, and he began training with renewed vigor.
Eventually, he reached a point where no matter how many punches he threw, he could no longer detect any progress.
Even with perfect perception, he sensed nothing—meaning it truly had no effect.
Still, he never gave up. His clones continued their daily training without pause.
And now, for the first time in what felt like forever, he sensed it again.
It thrilled him. He started dancing with excitement.
In this void, this was all there was to do.
When the punches no longer satisfied him, he released his Domain—unleashing a walking starry sky filled with ice, volcanoes, wind.
Countless techniques activated all at once, causing the black lightning to boil wildly.
Light began to bloom around him, and its momentum slowly spread outward.
But still, nothing new emerged.
"This darkness really is dead," Sōjun Minamoto muttered, a bit disappointed.
Then he reignited his drive.
"Maybe the light just hasn't spread far enough yet!"
The stars expanded, and his Domain stretched to its fullest.
Time passed—how long, he couldn't tell. The fusion energy neared depletion. But just as it hit a threshold, a new, constant stream of power began to emerge within him.
Sōjun Minamoto ignored it.
Deplete, regenerate...
It happened hundreds, maybe tens of thousands of times.
He didn't bother keeping count.
Eventually, a new body formed.
Bones, tendons, muscles, skin, kidneys, heart, liver, spleen, lungs—he knew the human form like the back of his hand.
Every cell brimmed with vitality.
Every emotion—joy, loneliness, whether positive or negative—became a source of new power.
Cursed Energy and Blessing Energy fused in perfect harmony.
From that point on, every emotion that stirred would generate strength.
A wisp of gray crystal mist circled at his fingertip.
This energy was unlike anything else—dense like a solid, yet active like gas.
If he had to describe it, it resembled smoke.
But that was only "if you had to."
With anything new, a name was needed.
Sōjun Minamoto found unexpected joy in that—naming things.
He called it Origin Force.
The joy didn't last.
He flicked the energy outward, sending the Origin Force shooting into the distance.
It tore through the black lightning, stirring up a silent storm, yet still couldn't conceal the brightness it left behind.
Using that light, he looked toward the farthest reaches...
But in the end, he shook his head.
So much for discovering a new world.
"Boom—boom—boom—boom—"
His brain filled in the sounds automatically as he kept snapping his fingers.
Bursts of light exploded forth, beams slicing through the dark...
He didn't know how much time passed.
But finally, a light appeared ahead.
Darkness. Storm. Ocean waves. A lighthouse.
That's what the light felt like to him.
The stars hesitated—then rushed toward it.
A familiar presence lay within—that of his clone.
The Present World!
As Sōjun Minamoto dragged the stars behind him, racing through the void...time continued to pass in the Present World.
The Jujutsu Headquarters had taken control of three Barriers—but no more than that.
An upheaval was looming. Riding the fading momentum, they summoned every available sorcerer.
That included the Ainu Jujutsu Alliance.
Only a few responded.
Among them was the Ainu Jujutsu Alliance.
"This is a spiritual field, similar to Kamui Kotan in Hokkaido."
Hokkaido has long endured, and the Ainu people even more so. Spiritual fields are rare and their effects vary. Kamui Kotan only evolved into one over a long stretch of time, and it took even longer for the people to adapt to and accept it.
They have a high sorcerer population.
Their tribe was originally small and secluded, barely maintaining peaceful relations with the Jujutsu world. But now, with ten spiritual fields suddenly appearing, even their remote corner has been affected—
The spiritual fields are connected.
That alone forced them to emerge. Truly a people tempered by time.
In fact, outside the ten Great Barriers, the world has become more stable than before, and cursed spirits are decreasing daily.
"Is there any way to lift the spiritual fields?" someone among the Higher-Ups asked.
Unfortunately, that doesn't align with their interests.
"No. If there were, we'd have done it already," the Ainu representative replied calmly. "Once a spiritual field forms, the only option is to adapt. Besides..."
The representative looked up and swept his gaze across the room.
"Besides, this is only the beginning. It will keep deepening."
"There's something I'm curious about. This spiritual field seems isolated from the outside world? It feels different from the one we know."
"Maybe only the person who created it can undo it," he added in the end.
What they understood as a spiritual field was extremely dangerous. Non-sorcerers—or the weak—would be eliminated at a rapid pace. The cursed spirits inside would grow stronger until all the weak were gone, and those who remained would grow as well.
Eventually, the two sides would reach a form of balance.
They were the ones who had survived that brutal era. And it hadn't been that long—it still felt like yesterday.
But this spiritual field was different. The weak weren't eliminated immediately... Their goal in coming here was to understand the spiritual field, to enact change. If nothing else, integration wouldn't be unacceptable.
The representative's expression turned weary. He said no more.
The Higher-Ups fell silent. After a moment, another voice spoke.
"What about Satoru Gojo? Have they found the Prison Realm yet?"
"Jujutsu High has it now. It's currently with Principal Yaga, but they didn't attend the meeting," someone said quietly.
...
Tokyo's First Barrier.
Everyone from Jujutsu High had gathered here. The area had regained basic order—gone was the previous chaos.
Masamichi Yaga and Suguru Geto stood inside a temporary base. A cube-sized object sat on the table—Prison Realm.
"How do we undo it?" The two looked troubled.
"Megumi encountered a unique sorcerer. Her Cursed Technique can neutralize any technique. Maybe she can help?" a teacher suggested.
"Worth a try."
Soon after, Megumi Fushiguro and the others arrived, surrounding a woman unfamiliar to Yaga. She was clearly the sorcerer in question.
Yaga explained the situation and asked if she was willing to assist. She agreed.
Just as she was preparing to use her technique, a man and a woman walked in. The moment everyone saw them, their expressions shifted.
The two didn't seem to care.
Clang—
They dropped a broken blade on the table.
Suguru Geto immediately recognized it.
Their faces bore a faint resemblance to Sōjun Minamoto.
"Can I ask where you found this blade?" he asked, unable to help himself.
If he remembered correctly, it should have been in Sōjun Minamoto's hands.
Yaga had clearly resorted to calling in the parents.
"In our weapons vault," said Mrs. Minamoto. "The Inverted Spear of Heaven—it can lift the seal on Prison Realm, right?"
"It's yours now." With that, she turned and walked out.
Mr. Minamoto gave Yaga a helpless smile and followed her.
Yaga wore a pained expression. He exchanged a look with Geto, uncertain what Sōjun Minamoto was trying to convey.
But things couldn't really get any worse now.
They nodded to each other. Geto stepped forward, holding the Inverted Spear of Heaven. The broken tip hovered above Prison Realm.
Everyone held their breath.
Ding—
The blade pierced the cube. Six eyes snapped open, glaring at Suguru Geto. He pressed down, forcing the blade deeper.
A flash of blinding white light erupted. Instinctively, everyone turned their heads and closed their eyes.
When the light faded and they looked back, Satoru Gojo was standing beside the table.
"Ha—" He stretched, his voice as playful as ever. "Everyone's here."
He suddenly froze. A flood of information overwhelmed his senses, briefly crashing his mind. After a moment, he adjusted to this overabundance of sensation.
"Looks like something major happened, huh."
He turned to look at Suguru Geto and Masamichi Yaga.